Documents show aggressive sales tactics at Trump Universit

Company exec says mogul was personally involved in marketing

CHRONICLE NEWS SERVICES

May 31, 2016Updated: May 31, 2016 8:15pm

Photo: ANDREW RENNEISEN, STR

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﻿﻿Ex-students at Trump University, like Robert Guillo of Manhasset, N.Y., say coercive tactics were used to elicit glowing marks for Donald Trump's real estate classes in evaluations he is now using against them. Guillo said he spent $36,000 on classes and wants a refund. ﻿ less

﻿﻿Ex-students at Trump University, like Robert Guillo of Manhasset, N.Y., say coercive tactics were used to elicit glowing marks for Donald Trump's real estate classes in evaluations he is now using against ... more

Donald Trump was personally involved in devising the marketing strategy for Trump University, even vetting potential ads, according to newly disclosed sworn testimony from the company's top executive taken as part of an ongoing lawsuit.

In the testimony, part of a trove of records made public as a result of a federal judge's Friday order, the executive said that the real estate mogul was involved in discussions and signed off "any time we had a new ad."

"Mr. Trump understandably is protective of his brand and very protective of his image and how he's portrayed," Michael Sexton, Trump University's president, said in the 2012 deposition. "And he wanted to see how his brand and image were portrayed in Trump University marketing materials. And he had very good and substantive input as well."

Playing The O'Jays

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The order Friday from U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo Curiel came in response to a request by the Washington Post, which argued that the public had an interest in learning about a business run by a potential president. Lawyers for Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, opposed the release, arguing that the records contained trade secrets.

The documents released Tuesday include internal company manuals, called "playbooks," which show that instructors were advised to aggressively steer prospective customers toward the most expensive courses. The playbooks advised staff members to collect "personalized information" about participants to help close sales. One example: "Are they a single parent of three children that may need money for food?"

The documents show meticulous attention to details such as seating at seminars. Room temperature should be set no higher than 68 degrees, and music should be The O'Jays "For the Love of Money."

Trump University's marketing tactics have been at the center of a case in which former students allege they were defrauded by the company. Among their allegations: that they were misled by ads featuring Trump claiming that he was overseeing the curriculum and that the faculty would be "hand-picked by me."

Trump has rejected the fraud allegations and has said the company provided a valuable service. A Trump lawyer, Jill A. Martin, predicted Tuesday that the company will prevail when the case goes to trial, which is expected to happen in late November.

Trump's exact role in his for-profit educational venture has been a key point of contention. Previously reported testimony from the lawsuit suggested that Trump was not deeply involved in the substance of the courses.

Sexton testified in a separate deposition that Trump did not personally select instructors for the marquee sessions. And Trump, in a sworn deposition, was unable to recall the names of key faculty members.

Even so, according to the newly disclosed testimony from Sexton, the company was eager to leverage Trump's growing celebrity status stemming from his hit reality-television show, "The Apprentice."

Calls judge 'unfair'

The records were unsealed as Trump continued to attack Curiel, the judge overseeing the case. He has previously said Curiel, who is Hispanic, could be biased because of Trump's support for building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. On Friday, Trump described the Indiana-born jurist as "Mexican."

In an appearance Tuesday, Trump said Curiel was "very bad." Asked why he would risk antagonizing the person presiding over the litigation, he responded: "Because I don't care. I have a judge who's very, very unfair. He knows he's unfair. And I'll win the Trump University case."

In addition to the class-action lawsuits being considered by Curiel, Trump University faces a separate $40 million fraud case in New York, filed by state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. A New York judge recently ruled that the case should go to trial; Trump has appealed the ruling, a process that is expected to last several months.